F4
by HardBoiled
Summary: How I would have done the latest Fantastic Four movie.


Was inspired by Dagenspear's version of Fantastic Four so I decided to give my own two cents of how the Fantastic Four should have been. I haven't actually seen the movie but from what I've read and heard, I'm not sure I even want to. It's a shame because I thought this film did have some good ideas to it. I actually liked the casting of Michael B Jordan as Johnny Storm and having the government train the Fantastic Four as super soldiers. So I decided to incorporate these ideas into a reboot of my own. Forgive me if I feel like I give out way too much information but I've seriously been thinking about this way too much.

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We start around 2007 where young Susan has just lost both her parents to a car accident. Franklin Storm, who was the best friend and business partner of Susan's father, adopts her and brings her home. At first she doesn't speak to anyone, devastated and withdrawn from the world. Then her step brother Johnny decides to make it his mission to make her smile. He acts like a complete idiot at times all just to make her laugh. It doesn't work until Johnny accidently hurts himself. Susan is distraught and checks on him but the injury is very minor. At seeing he was going to be okay, Susan smiles for the first time we've seen her.

Around the same time, young Ben Grimm runs out of his house being chased by his alcoholic and abusive older brother Daniel. He gets away and hangs around the neighborhood doing whatever he could to pass the time until his mother got home from one of her two jobs. He comes upon Reed Richards who was being bullied and intervenes, slugging the leader and punching him even while he was on the ground. When the bully begs him to stop, Ben is taken aback by how violent he's become and grabs Reed, leading him away from his tormentors. The two introduce themselves and that's how their friendship begins.

Also during this time, Victor Domashev (I was perfectly fine with calling him that. I find the idea of some regular guy calling himself Victor Von Doom to be a little cheesy.) is seeking asylum in the United States because his family was wiped out during a civil war in Latveria. He is entered into the foster system but retains his name as he is proud of his heritage. His one possession coming to America is a toy metallic mask. It was a toy model of the metal mask worn by a legendary knight during the Dark Ages who rose to power and united Latveria to repel the invading Ottoman Empire. No one knows his origin and he died in the final battle to repel the invaders so his real name and early life remains a mystery. It was Victor's favorite story. He liked the idea that an ordinary man could rise above his station and accomplish great things.

Cut to 2014 where Ben is just finishing high school while Reed has just graduated from Columbia University with a PHD. The two celebrate at a local bar where Ben admits that he doesn't really know what to do with his life. Reed suggests going into engineering as he was always good at building things though Ben jokes that he just did whatever Reed told him to. Reed had received numerous offers from different research tanks and universities but he isn't sure any of them would allow him the creative freedom he wants to pursue his own research, specifically into interdimensional travel.

Franklin Storm runs the Baxter Institute, a government sponsored think tank, and is having trouble getting new finance for his biggest project. To create a reactor that can draw on zero point energy, potentially limitless but also dangerous. The project lead, Victor Domanshev, has quit due to the constraints that Franklin that ordered for the safety of the team. Victor believes it is slowing them down and left. Susan Storm also worked on the program but admits they need Victor to finish the project. Franklin agrees but believes they need someone else as well.

Franklin meets up with Reed and offers him a position at the Baxter Institute. At Harvard, Reed wrote a paper about interdimensional travel and Franklin believes that his theories could be applied to solving the problem they had with creating a zero point energy generator. Victor actually constructed a generator capable of drawing power but the process unleashed dangerous particles and so far they've hit a brick wall on creating a containment shield. By creating a wormhole inside the generator, it would suck up the particles and make the process safe. Reed is somewhat disappointed that traveling to other dimension isn't the priority but admits that he has yet to create a power source capable of maintaining a stable wormhole. Perhaps this project could solve that problem.

Susan meanwhile visits Victor who at first refuses to return. Though a genius, the man had difficulty working with other people and demanded that Franklin fire most of the staff he put on the project. The only person that managed to endure him was Susan who he likes but doesn't admit it. Sue managed to convince him to come back to the Institute and then she gets a call regarding Johnny.

Johnny is in jail after yet another one of his speed races. This got him fired from his job at Chevrolet so Susan and Franklin made him an offer. Work for them at the Baxter Institute so they can keep an eye on him. Johnny isn't thrilled but accepts. He's relationship with his father had grown strained by the fact that Franklin wasn't happy that his son went into designing cars while Susan was the favorite child for getting into physics. Despite that, Johnny and Susan are still close and even joke with one another after getting him out of jail.

Reed moves into the Baxter Building where he is introduced by Franklin to Victor and Susan. Victor is dismissive of their new co-worker but Susan keeps things civil between them. Johnny is brought on a technician and keeps the mood light with numerous pranks on his fellow co-workers. As they work together, Reed and Victor start to develop respect for one another. The two of them manage to finish the project and complete a new zero point generator. They test it twice, once keeping it on for a minute and the second time for an hour. Both tests went off without incident but Victor notices some slight fluctuations in the miniaturized wormhole on the second test. He hides this fact from the others as they celebrate their success.

The Pentagon is impressed. Sustainable infinite clean energy could change the world and the Joint chiefs want to know how soon real world applications could start. Franklin and Reed caution restraint but Victor is confident that the device could remain on twenty fours a day without any problems. Franklin disagrees with this and later chides Victor for grandstanding himself but let's Victor test the generator for an entire day.

Meanwhile, Reed's birthday is coming up and Susan and Johnny invite Ben and Victor to a surprise party in the generator room. Knowing it was the only place Reed would be for the next day, they catch him by surprise. While everyone celebrates, Victor admits to Reed that he doesn't plan on sticking around the Baxter Institute for much longer. He believes Franklin has been holding them back and he wants Reed to join him in starting their own corporation. Together they could make billions and with that money, they could pick and choose what programs they could work on. Reed is tempted by this as this might be the only way to finally work on his project on traveling to other dimensions.

Alarms sound as Victor, Reed, and Susan rush to consoles. The wormhole inside the generator was growing unstable and instead of sending the dangerous particles into the other dimension, it was sucking matter from the other dimension into this one. Reed wants them to shut it down but Victor insists he can stabilize it. The two argue as streaks of energy burn through the generator and rock-like material are shot out of it like bullets. Everyone is forced to take cover as energy and rocks are shot all over the place. Reed runs to the manual switch to turn off the power as Victor tries to stabilize the wormhole from his console.

An energy streak hits Victor's console, causing it to explode and engulfing the man in flames. He screams in pain and just as Reed reaches the switch, a strange looking energy field expands from the wormhole and engulfs the entire room. Reed manages to flip the switch as everyone screams in pain, their bodies changing right before their eyes before they all lose consciousness.

Cut to a secluded military base where Reed, Susan, Johnny, and Ben all regain consciousness. Johnny screams as he finds himself on fire, Susan constantly phases between visible and invisible, Ben is horrified to find himself as some kind of rock monster, and Reed has trouble being able to stand as his entire body has become elastic and rubbery. Victor's entire body is covered in burns and is in a coma. The four test their abilities with vary degrees of success. Johnny is ecstatic with gaining his abilities and couldn't be happier while Ben is horrified by what he's become. Reed promises Ben that he will do whatever it takes to return him to normal. A furious Ben wants nothing to do with Reed, blaming him for his condition.

The military couldn't be more excited by the prospect of four superhuman beings. They immediately offer Ben a chance to do something with his abilities. When Johnny hears that Ben is being sent to attack military targets, he wants to join in. Susan and Franklin try to dissuade him but he's through letting them tell him what to do. While Ben and Johnny train to become weaponized, Reed and Susan refuse to join and try to find a cure. The military was also studying the various rocks that emerged from the wormhole and were excited to find they all possess capabilities of resisting energy. Along with the rocks were the charred remains of some kind of insectoid species. Both are being studied along with the Fantastic Four (they don't call them that yet).

Cut to a montage of the four training with their powers and how it affects them in their everyday life.

Cut to a few weeks later. Ben and Johnny returned from a successful mission. While Johnny brags about it, Ben is silent. Susan isn't happy with her brother suddenly turning into a human weapon and the two haven't really spoken since the accident. Reed hasn't spoken to Ben either and works around the clock to find a cure. His efforts grow more and more hopeless until he smashes his own work computer in frustration. Sue, sensing Reed needs a break, offers to take him away at least the night to clear his head. At first he refuses but Susan insists and Reed eventually relents.

Franklin Storms argues with military brass who want to reopen the wormhole but this time actually visit it. They want gather up more rocks as they have incredible potential and the possibility of creating more super soldiers. While this argument is going on, a scientist in the same facility is studying the various rock samples but doesn't notice one of the rocks moving on his work table. It cracks open and a living insect emerges from it. It leaps on him and latches onto his neck, draining him of blood. The man's assistant runs out of the room and hits the alarm.

Ben and Johnny hear the alarm and prep themselves. Soldiers assemble outside the room and break in guns drawn to find the insect had grown and now had humanoid arms and legs. Only now it doesn't look like a human bug. Imagine a creature out of an HR Giger painting, something completely horrifying and even disgusting. Say hello to the reimagined version of Annihilus. The soldiers empty their magazines but the bullets just bounce off it. The creature rips them apart with its bare hands and not in a PG-13 kind of way. Annihilus escapes and heads to the facility's generator, absorbing the energy like food. Pieces of him detach and grow into smaller non-humanoid bugs that spread out and find energy to feed on and kill everyone in their way. Annihilus doesn't just kill people who get in his way, he kills everyone and everything that he sees. Imagine a Xenomorph with near indestructibility and energy abilities and this would be the same scenario.

Johnny and Ben fight off the smaller bugs but Annihilus escapes the facility, destination unknown. Meanwhile Reed and Susan are at a bar where they play a drinking game that involved reciting molecular formula. Susan admits she tries far too hard to please other people and originally wanted to be a doctor but changed her major because her adaptive father wanted her to be in physics like him. She envies Johnny who lives so carefree. Reed admits he wished could be like Ben, someone who didn't have his whole life planned ahead of him and could just enjoy the here and now. At least before his transformation. Their cell phones go off as Johnny and Ben inform them about what happens.

Annihilus heads to a transformer station and begins feeding on the electricity, creating more insectoid offspring in the process.

Reed and Susan return to the base and are briefed on the creature and what it was able to do. The damage to the facility and loss of human life is massive. The military are informed of the creature's location and send in the National Guard. Reed advises against it, arguing they should maintain a safe distance from it until they know more about it. The military ignore him and order the attack.

The army rolls with tanks, helicopters, APCs, and a small army to go with it. They manage to kill any attacking small bug that attacks them but when they open fire on Annihilus himself, the villain lives up to his name. He fires energy beams that vaporize tanks and blast the choppers right out of the sky. It rampages through the soldiers, cutting them apart.

Johnny and Ben volunteer to help after they hear the sounds of the dying soldiers on the radios. Susan even joins in, surprising everyone as she refused to use her powers to fight before. Reed doesn't like it but agrees someone should help the National Guard before they're all dead. The four are transported via a helicopter except for Johnny who flies outside. Once they are close enough, Ben jumps out of the chopper and lands dead center in the warzone. He catches Annhilus's attention and lures the monster away from the surviving soldiers. Johnny flies in and uses his fire abilities to create a safe path for the soldiers to escape from the smaller insects.

Annihilus and Ben duke it out, throwing each other around the transformers station and destroying in the process. Ben's skin is strong enough to withstand Annihilus's energy attack but the creature changes tactics and attacks close, blasting Ben's eyes directly with energy beams and proving it's not some mindless creature. Ben is blinded and Annihilus relentless attacks him with both physical and energy attacks. Susan and Reed arrive via one of Sue's energy shields and Reed instantly wraps himself around Annihilus, restraining the creature. Susan also encases both of them in an energy field. But their containment fails when Annihilus unleashes a Force Unleashed like blast that frees him from Reed and destroys Sue's field, weakening her. Johnny flies in and blasts it with flames. Susan again tries to encase him in a field while on fire but the creature breaks free once again. Now Susan is too weak to fight and Johnny is nearly vaporized as Annihilus tries to blast him with energy beams.

Annihilus attacks Susan but is stopped by Reed who manages to fling it into a fallen transformer. Annihilus quickly recovers and throws the transformer at Johnny. He manages to blast it before it can hit him but the explosion was so close that the blast knocks him out of the sky. Ben comes charging out of rubble and unleashes a series of blows that knock Annihilus down. The creature still manages to get to his feet but flies off, deciding to fight another day. Reed observes that it seemed to have gotten weaker towards the end so the creature needs to find another source of energy. Call the battle a draw.

The military set up a trap at another transformer station with enough bombs to level a city. Annihilus takes the bait but again isn't killed, emerging from the resulting explosion even stronger.

At their base, Reed is starting to believe that no man made weapon can destroy the creature. It could possibly absorb a nuclear bomb. Coincidently the military is considering that option and as usual, don't believe Reed. Johnny asks how this thing be so much more powerful when they had dozens of insect carcasses that came from the other dimension. Susan remembers that the creature was hiding in a rock, made out of energy resistant material. All the others were killed as they passed through the wormhole. Reed agrees that it must have been the dangerous particles caused by the generator that killed them. The insects aren't capable of absorbing them and they might be the only way to destroy Annihilus. (They don't actually call him that though)

Franklin Storm is the one to finally convince the military to listen as the four superheroes lay out a plan. They were going to lure the creature back to the base and re-activate the generator. It wasn't completely repaired so there was a massive danger to anyone still on the base. It will be evacuated and all power on the entire North East United States shut down except this base. The four would remain and lure the creature close enough to the generator before activating it. Franklin doesn't like the idea as they would surely die as well but Susan says this happened because of them. It was time to make things right.

While they wait, Susan and Johnny patch up their differences and have a heartfelt talk with their father. Ben forgives Reed for what happened to him and says he knows what he wants to do with his life now. He's going to use his power to help others. The base evacuates and the four wait for their nemesis to arrive. Que horror moments and jump scares as little insects swarm into the base. The four fight them off as Annihilus arrives. Even stronger than before, it manages to not only handle everything they throw at it but force them back. It even bites Ben who to everyone's shock started bleeding. Susan encases them all in a field and they quickly retreat deeper into the base. They arrive at the generator but to their horror, the remaining little bugs were trying to destroy it.

Johnny vaporizes most of them but the device is damaged and needs to be repaired. Annihilus bursts through the wall and attacks like a bat out of hell. Ben manages to keep its attention while Johnny and Susan tried to attack it from a distance. It was a losing battle as Ben was starting to look weakened from all the damage Annihilus was inflicting on him and the siblings were more than an annoyance to it. Reed tells everyone to run as he finishes the repairs. Annihilus attacks but Reed uses his agility to avoid getting hit. Johnny uses his full strength to unleash a massive white flame blast that engulfed the creature, momentarily catching it off guard. Johnny nearly passes out as Ben tells the others to take cover and rushes towards the manual switch. Annihilus notices this and fires an energy beam, only for Susan to encase Ben with a force field to protect him. Reed yells at Ben not to do it but Susan encases him along with herself and Johnny in a force field to protect them. Annihilus leaps at Ben just as he flips the manual switch to on.

The generator activates and Annihilus screams in pain, unable to absorb the resulting particles as he began melting. Ben screams as he too is engulfed in particles. Reed cries out for his friend. In a last ditch effort to save itself, Annihilus blasts the generator. The room is consumed in an explosion as we cut to black.

Open to a hospital where Susan, Reed, and Johnny all wake up in the same room. They call on a nurse to tell them what happened to Ben and are quickly visited by Franklin Storm and several of the Joint Chiefs. They are informed that their plan worked. Annihilus was dead and the rest of the creatures all killed by the explosion as it scattered the deadly particles around the base. The three demand to know where Ben is and to their surprise, he ducked through the doorway and entered the room. He didn't a hundred percent but at least he was alive. Johnny nearly shot out of his bed and gave the big guy a hug.

The whole world wouldn't know what happened but they saved countless lives by what they did. The Joint Chiefs wanted to send them on new missions once they were a hundred percent but Reed pointed out that none of them were in the military. They don't have to take orders from them. Reed tells them that the four of them were going to help more than just the army. They were going to help everyone. The rest of them agree and while unhappy, the military brass was willing to work with them in that capacity.

Months later, the four have conducted brave acts of heroism across the planet. Helping people in burning buildings, saving civilians in war torn countries, taken downs terrorist training camps, the whole world knows about them and named them the Fantastic Four.

Reed destroyed all of his research for interdimensional travel, stating it was too dangerous. But that didn't stop him from working on other things like a flying car. Susan and Johnny's relationship with their father has improved greatly as he's joined them to aid Reed's research projects along with Susan. Ben is able to walk down a street and while people are shocked by his appearance, others cheer him on and love him. Johnny starts a reality show to show what life is like for Johnny Storm. The four have embraced their powers as a gift and jump into the Fantastic Car as reports of an explosion at a nuclear plant. They ride off as we cut to the credits.

Did you think that's it? Oh no, this is a Marvel movie so of course we need a mid-credits scene. Victor Domashev is still in a coma. At a hospital, a nurse changes his IV and leaves the room. A moment later, he gasps and sits up. He rips the monitors and IV off his body and is shocked by the burns on his body. He heads into room's bathroom and looks himself in the mirror. Seeing his horrifying burned and disfigured face, Victor screams as we cut to black.

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Well that's the end of it. I realize it isn't a perfect movie but I feel it would be a Fantastic Four movie fans would love more than the latest one we got. It would have been a mix of action, humor, and horror. You'd need a horror like atmosphere at times when you have a villain like Annihilus. I know I cut out the whole interdimensional travel but I didn't like the fact that they decided to go to this place completely unprepared and without the proper training. This way, they could get their powers from an accident but it was one that wasn't of their own making.

Also I didn't like the idea of using Doctor Doom as the main villain in the first movie. That's like creating a Spiderman franchise with Venom being the main villain in the first movie. It can only go down after that. Each sequel should have a more dangerous villain as the series progresses.

I hoped you enjoyed it and I'm not sure if I'll actually try to turn this into an actual fic. I'm terrible at continuing the ones I've already got going. But I needed to get this idea off my chest and I hope you liked it.


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